Increase sr residency posts, bonded resident docs appeal to DMER

While the number of postgraduate seats in colleges keeps increasing, the number of senior resident posts has not increased much, leaving several postgraduates without senior residency

Mumbai: In order to make the route into academia easier for postgraduate (PG) medical students, the Maharashtra Association of Bonded Resident Doctors (MABRD) has written to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to help them get more senior residencies.

The government must take more steps to ensure all postgraduates get the necessary residency experience, said the president of MABRD Dr Pranav Jadhav (StockPic)

Only doctors with at least a year’s experience as senior residents are eligible to become assistant professors in medical colleges as per the norms brought in by the National Medical Commission in 2018.

While the number of postgraduate seats in colleges keeps increasing, the number of senior resident posts has not increased much, leaving several postgraduates without senior residency.

The government must take more steps to ensure all postgraduates get the necessary residency experience, said the president of MABRD Dr Pranav Jadhav. “This is the only way to ensure there are enough people who qualify to become assistant professors. Lack of teachers has a profound impact on the quality of medical education in the state,” he said.

While medical graduate is in their three-year postgraduate programme (MD/MS/DNB), their job description is that of a junior resident. Upon completion of the degree, they are eligible for a senior resident post. This is an essential requirement for PG students of government medical colleges who need to complete a one-year bond working for the state government, after which they can opt to go into academics or a private job.

“Several new medical colleges in cities like Satara, Nandurbar, Sindhudurg and Baramati do not have any posts for senior residents currently,” said general secretary of MABRD Dr Dharun Prasad R from Government Medical College, Satara. He gives the example of GMC Nagpur where he completed his post-graduation which has 14 PG seats but only two senior residency posts.

He also said that the application of many of his seniors for the post of assistant professor was rejected as they did not have the necessary residency experience.

During Covid times, several appointments of assistant professors were made across the state, keeping the eligibility criteria at bay. In fact, the medical colleges run by the BMC had conducted ad-hoc counselling for senior residency posts on a local level in August.

This was done despite an HC order for such counselling to be done centrally for the entire state.

DMER director Dr Dilip Mhaisekar said that the department is already in the process of increasing senior residency posts across the state, and has sanctioned 300 new posts for the next academic session. He said that the problem comes because when the residencies are allotted on a merit basis, there are not many takers for posts in smaller cities, many of which are vacant even today. He even said those willing to take up these vacant posts can contact him and he would ensure they get senior residencies.